Node.js is a technology developed on top of Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine launched in 2009 and has maintained steady growth in popularity since then. Node.js backend development is not a new idea, and it is used to build many digital goods online. It has several advantages that make it ideal for developing corporate and business-to-customer applications.

What exactly is Node.js?

Node.js is a runtime environment that enables software developers to launch web applications using JavaScript on both the frontend and backend. While JS underlies all app assembly processes, it has proprietary APIs that handle HTTP requests, file systems, and other server-side functionality not supported by frontend APIs.

Because JavaScript has historically been used for frontend development, some developers think it cannot create internal code. However, Node.js demonstrates otherwise.

Node.js’s primary features are as follows:

• It is a framework for servers.
• It is an open-source project.
• A variety of systems are compatible.

Node.js’s Best Uses

This runtime environment is best suited for building real-time applications that handle a high volume of online requests on the client-side without requiring sophisticated security while providing an excellent user experience and a quick response time. This category covers live chats, instant messengers, online games, video conferencing, e-commerce applications, and multi-user collaboration platforms (Google Docs, Trello, Dropbox, etc.)

Node.js is a much better choice for these applications than slower and less versatile platforms such as Ruby on Rails. Node.js’s ability to handle many requests concurrently and deliver fast answers makes it an excellent option for developing client-facing web applications. This runtime environment is used more often than any other backend technology in single-page apps.

Why is Node.js an excellent backend language?

The backend of every web application is the most critical component. As a result, developers pay close attention to it and use the most acceptable methods and technology to ensure that everything works well.

Node.js performs effectively when dealing with vast amounts of data in real-time. Moreover, Node.js makes it possible to gather and visualize data in the form of dashboards.

Node.js backend development is concise, since it has a plethora of otherwise unavailable capabilities in event-based systems.

Node.js is a fast-programming language since it saves its data in native JSON.

It is backed by a sizable development community that is continuously working to improve it. It can do high-level data streaming. Additionally, independent of the underlying operating system, it is ideal for creating applications for many platforms.

Node.js is capable of concurrent operations due to its non-blocking nature and support for async functions. They contribute to server performance by handling tasks in a single thread rather than queuing them.

Node.js applications are scalable and have a reasonably good performance.

Node.js is a simple language to learn. The number of Node.js engineers is increasing rapidly, which reduces development expenses when employing them.

Frameworks for Node.js

Certain activities remain challenging to do using Node.js, and as a result, many frameworks have been created to facilitate the process.

Nest.js — It is a sophisticated Node.js backend framework that is well-suited for enterprise-level applications. It includes many libraries that implement Typescript and the Model-View-Presenter pattern.

Express.js — It is a lightweight, simply built framework that includes a robust set of HTTP helpers. It is favored by developers who do not need a long and expensive development procedure. Additionally, it is ideal for developing APIs, mobile and online apps.

Socket.io — Due to its simplicity, it is suitable for usage on a variety of devices. It is primarily concerned with bi-directional real-time communications. Additionally, reconnection, binary, and multiplexing are supported.

Meteor.js — This framework enables real-time functionality, dynamic imports, front-end-backend interaction, and protection against hidden APIs.

Koa.js — This library implements asynchronous functions, which simplifies error handling and improves the application’s speed.

Loopback.io enables developers to quickly create APIs by providing a plethora of capabilities that streamline the development process. It can perform ad-hoc queries and providing storage services. It supports a variety of REST services and many well-known databases.

Feathers.io — It enables the rapid development of real-time web apps and REST APIs.

A developer may choose the best Node.js framework that meets their project’s needs and produces the best outcomes from the frameworks mentioned above.

When Node.js is Not the Best Backend

Node.js is not a one-size-fits-all programming language. As the CPU load increases, its efficiency drops. If your server processes a significant quantity of data, you should consider adopting a more reliable and resilient technology. Node.js-based applications may struggle to manage intensive computational tasks, blocking incoming requests and slowing response times.

Node.js’s APIs are unnecessary for building simple CRUD and HTML applications that communicate directly with the server. Utilizing them complicates matters.

Conclusion

Now you understand how Node.js for the backend may improve the software development process, why it is so popular, most beneficial, and preferable to experiment with other technologies. You may determine if Node.js is a suitable match for you and begin developing your backend server. Ensure that you only download libraries and customization features from reputable sources.

Looking for node.js development services? feel free to contact us today & get a free quotation today!

Also read: Nodejs best practices